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deadlock.

A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.

8 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈdɛdˌlɒk/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɛdˌlɑk/General-American/ˈdedˌlɔk/Australia
  1. A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.

    countable · uncountable
    The negotiation ended in deadlock, with neither party willing to compromise on the price.
  2. An inability to continue due to two programs or devices each requiring a response from the other before completing an operation.

    countable · uncountable
  3. Synonym of deadbolt (“type of lock”).

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree English dead Proto-Indo-European *lewg-der. Proto-Germanic *luką Proto-West Germanic *lok Old English loc Middle English lok English lock English deadlock From dead + lock.

verb/ˈdɛdˌlɒk/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɛdˌlɑk/General-American/ˈdedˌlɔk/Australia
  1. To cause or come to a deadlock.

    intransitive
  2. To bring to a state of deadlock.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree English dead Proto-Indo-European *lewg-der. Proto-Germanic *luką Proto-West Germanic *lok Old English loc Middle English lok English lock English deadlock From dead + lock.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.